80s Flick Flashback

Based loosely on David Morrell's 1972 novel of the same name, this 80’s flick was the first of a decades long franchise. Unlike the following sequels which were war adventure films set in foreign countries, this was a post-Vietnam War psychological thriller set in the United States that lacks the gore and violence that would later become a trademark of the series. So journey back with us to the sm...

For those who were not born before 1962, the beach party movies were a series of chaste comedies in which clean-cut teen idols hung out on the beach, rode the big waves, necked a little and tried to defend their lifestyle against the old fogies who were always trying to ban rock 'n' roll. The financially successful teen movies were a tie between harmless and brainless. This 80’s Flick was a musica...

No one was overly surprised when this 80’s flick dominated the 1989 Academy Award ceremony. It featured one of America's biggest movie stars showing a little gravitas as a self-absorbed hustler who learns the importance of family. It had an Oscar mainstay going deep into affliction, playing a character with a disorder that not many everyday moviegoers knew much about at the time. And at the helm,...

Undeniably, the best of the mini-cycle of body-swap comedies from late eighties, this is the flick that revealed that Tom Hanks was capable of much more than just one-dimensional idiotic comedic roles. His transformation into the floppy walk and wide-eyed enthusiasm of a 13 year old boy is a masterclass in physical acting. It also proved that Penny Marshall was a bonafide blockbuster movie directo...

What's more traumatizing for a teenage boy than having to pack up his life and move to a new town with his brother and newly divorced mom? Nothing, other than the local gang initiation. Which, in Santa Carla, may just involve dropping from a train overpass, racing motorcycles near the cliff, and drinking blood instead of wine. Though we’ve been engulfed in some, dare I say toothless vampire entert...

This 80’s flick is sometimes described as “Better Off Dead Goes To The Beach” because it reunites young leading man John Cusack with writer-director Savage Steve Holland for a tale of teenage angst and the quest to find love. This time the quest takes us to Nantucket where our lead gets involved with cute and fuzzy bunnies, snobby preppies, insane mechanics, a killer dolphin with rabies, and a hip...

Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. Its time to pick up where things left off as Tim Williams is joined by the "Hill Valley Save the Clock Tower Committee" (aka the Co-Host Panel) as they continue their discussion on the "Back to the Future" Trilogy for this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback! Panel Includes Charlie Cotter, Chad Sheppard, and Laramy & Bethany Wells ("Moving Panels"...

In the Summer of 1985, one of the most influential sci-fi comedies ever made landed in theaters nationwide and took moviegoers on a time-traveling thrill ride while shattering box office expectations. This 80’s flick sparked a trilogy that, like most, has its hits and misses, but is still one of the most beloved trilogies in cinematic history! So climb into the DeLorean, check the flux capacitor,...

Like “Major League”, “The Natural” or even “Field of Dreams”, this 80’s flick is one of those sports movies that always seems to be on one of the many basic cable TV channels every Spring and Summer. It doesn’t matter whether it’s two in the afternoon or two in the morning, somewhere in the outer reaches of cable TV, the main characters can be found bickering about baseball and who’s taking who to...

Whenever the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday we are compelled to return to Crystal Lake to talk about one of our favorite 80’s flick slashers. This time we get the sequel that ultimately changed the direction of its franchise from a cash-grab wannabe to the bonafide horror icon it has become. So grab some 3-D glasses as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Laramy Wells from the "Moving Panels"...

Before " A Different World"  came into its own. Before " Higher Learning"  and " Dear White People"  critiqued the fraught relationship between Black students and white students at predominantly white institutions. And before " grown-ish" , there was this 80’s flick. Multi-talented Spike Lee’s sophomore feature took a critical look at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (aka HBCUs), rev...

In the mid-80s, Hollywood funnyman Chevy Chase was at the height of his fame. After a successful stint on TV’s Saturday Night Live, he’d proven himself a big box office draw in such movies as "Caddyshack" and "National Lampoon's Vacation". In 1985, Chase tried his hand at something a tiny bit more serious with this 80’s Flick - a comedy thriller which cast him in the title role as an investigative...

If you were a kid or a teenager in 1989, no other movie was more anticipated than this iconic 80’s flick. The first superhero movie to take the gritty and grounded approach, it was the comic book event of the decade and the film that transformed the campy Caped Crusader into the brooding Dark Knight. So fire up the Batmobile and meet us in Gotham City as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Laramy Well...

She may have broke your heart as Karen in "The Last American Virgin".  Or maybe she terrified you as the tormented sister and daughter in "Amityville II: The Possession". Perhaps, she inspired you to learn French when she won your heart as Monique in "Better Off Dead". Or maybe, just maybe, you spent way too much time at the Circle K hoping for a time-traveling telephone booth that could transport...

If you have ever hear a crowd chanting “Kumite!” then you have entered rarified territory. You have found die-hard fans of this 80’s flick which made “the Muscles from Brussels” a bonafide movie star and also brought in the biggest box office haul for its distributor Cannon Films that year. Yes, that's THE Cannon Films, which is notorious for making some of the biggest-budget B-Movies of the decad...

In the midst of a Western revival — which included big hits like "Silverado" and "Pale Rider" — came this 80’s flick, a loving parody of the genre and a send-up of Hollywood. It has become a landmark in comedy collaboration, starring three comedy legends under the direction of a bonafide hit movie director with a script co-written by the mastermind of Saturday Night Live. So grab your sombrero and...

“Baby Fishmouth.” “I’ll have what she’s having”. The Wagon Wheel Coffee Table. And the elaborate apple pie order that has inspired thousands of elaborate apple pie orders in diners and restaurants everywhere. In the 30 plus years since this 80’s flick was released, nearly every scene has become iconic and the stuff of rom-com legend. So in honor of Valentine’s Day, cuddle up with the one you love...

While some critics failed it from the outset, this 80’s flick is actually a notch more upscale than most of its fellow D-grade locker-room comedies of the era. It's gained a "cult" reputation for its overall cynical tone, its clever gags, and its zany blend of animation and live-action. A teen comedy that refused to take itself too seriously, even if the subject matter should have been. So unwrap...

John Carpenter directed a slew of classic films including  " Escape From New York",  " They Live",  " Halloween", and  " Big Trouble In Little China". One of his most celebrated works is this 80’s flick. Upon release, the bleak horror movie was panned by critics as boring and over-indulgent with its violence. The masses barely bothered heading to the movie theaters to see it. In the years since, h...

This 80’s flick was meant to be just another chapter in the misadventures of Clark W. Griswold and his family. It has become one of the most surprisingly popular and oft-quoted holiday movies of all time. So dig up your oversized Christmas tree, fill up your Wally World glass mugs with eggnog, and make sure your RV’s "you know what"-er isn’t full as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Bethany Wells, d...

There has been a debate raging on the internet for years as to whether or not “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie. If “Die Hard” is, in fact, a Christmas movie – which I believe it is – then this 80’s Flick deserves the same holiday movie label. A significant scene in the first act takes place at a Christmas tree farm, the soundtrack is packed with holiday carol classics, and the film ends with turkey...

According to Roger Ebert, this 80’s Flick is one of the most depressing children's movies of all time—but try telling that to the millions of kids who fell in love with a mischievous, rebellious, but adorable kid mouse, his emigrating family, and the diverse cast of characters who all help, in one way or another, to reunite them. If you were one of those kids then join Tim Williams, his daughter H...

When this 80’s flick first hit the big screen, movie-goers were jump-scared by a ghostly librarian roaming the quiet aisles of a public library, a multi-story marshmallow man towering over the streets of New York, and slime, lots and lots of slime. Fortunately, four wisecracking misfits were just a phone call away, ready to take down these paranormal pests with their proton packs and ghost traps,...

Horror movies have been around since the late 1800s, yet not all of them are remembered as fondly as others. In 1984, horror master Wes Craven introduced moviegoers to not only one of the most iconic horror movies of the decade, but one of the most iconic figures in horror’s history. So start a fresh pot of coffee, refill your caffeine pills, and whatever you do, don’t fall asleep as Tim Williams...

Horror sequels are tricky business. As critic Tasha Robinson notes in an essay for The Dissolve, “Horror sequels are the exact opposite of horror. Horror is about exploiting the fear of the unknown, but sequels are about capitalizing on the familiar.” So horror sequels must find the balance between delivering more of the same to audiences but also something unknown. How well does this 80’s horror...